Parish council defends 66 per cent increase in its tax bills

On March 3, North Kesteven District Council looks set to agree an increase of its annual council tax charge by £4.95 to a proposed £179.95 for a full year at Band D.

Officers reported to the Executive Board last week how council tax demands from parishes for their share of the bill varied wildly but final sums will be shown in the bill dropping on doormats in mid-March and in the Council Tax Leaflet available at www.n-kesteven.gov.uk at the same time.

Parishes make up about five per cent of the overall bill. Some parishes have kept their demands about the same or even decreased them, such as Swaton, where their tax bill will decrease by 15.42 per cent this year. That is a drop from £38.53 for the last year for a Band D property, down to £32.59, as the parish budget precept has been lowered by £250.

Elsewhere, the highest increase this year will be in South Kyme where residents face a 66.22 per cent hike for the parish council which is raising its precept requirement to cover spending from £6,784 to £11,489. An increase of £4,705.

As a result, a Band D household in South Kyme will be paying £81.72 towards parish council services this year, compared to £49.16 last year - an increase of £32.56

Clerk to South Kyme Parish Council, Dermot Daly, told the Sleaford Standard said they were increasing the precept “to support a budget that provides a reasonable level of local services aligned with recent responses to a questionnaire sent out to all homes in the parish.

“Furthermore, the costs of consumed services to the parish council have also increased.

Among services the parish council coordinates is the well-trained Community Speed Watch Group which regularly monitors and educates traffic that passes through the village. The group has a Speed Indicator Device that monitors speed of vehicles 24 hours a day.

South Kyme has its own Environment Warden to educate visitors and dog walkers against littering and dog fouling.

In a document issued by the parish council, the authority says it continues to invest in the village, the riverbank, and other facilities across the parish “to keep the area pleasant for residents and visitors alike”.

Most recently they have created a platform designed to make it safer and easier for canoes and kayaks to launch into the river.

The parish council is working with the Coronation Hall committee and other residents to formulate an appropriate celebration for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee event in June.

The body says that both within the village and further afield, along the river, investment is to be made on the footpaths to make them more usable and safer in all weathers and to be more inclusive for users while boosting biodiversity on the riverbank through wildflower and tree planting.

A regular newsletter has started to be produced and distributed for the residents. A Facebook page has relaunched focused specifically on parish council activity along with improved content on the parish council website.